Electronic writeboards or whiteboards (EWBs) are known in the art and have been used in conjunction with host computers executing applications software to provide enhanced multimedia and teleconferencing capabilities. An example of an electronic writeboard of this nature is sold by SMART Technologies Inc. of Calgary, Alberta, Canada under the name SMART Board. The SMART Board electronic writeboard includes a touch sensitive panel, a tool tray accommodating a plurality of tools such as colored pens and an eraser as well as a driver and an associated controller.
In use, the electronic writeboard is connected to a host processor such as a personal computer operating in a Windows® (computer operating system) environment and executing applications software, via a serial data connection. The electronic writeboard can be operated in one of three modes, namely a projected mouse mode, a projected mark-up mode and a non-projected mode.
In the projected mouse mode, the image displayed on the monitor of the personal computer is projected onto the touch sensitive panel. In this case, the electronic writeboard functions as a giant mouse providing input to the personal computer in response to user contact with the touch sensitive panel. Specifically, the electronic writeboard generates mouse events in response to user contact with the touch sensitive panel which are conveyed to the personal computer for processing. Thus, by contacting the touch sensitive panel, the personal computer can be conditioned to open and display menus, to activate displayed menus, to drag icons, to execute software and to switch applications by changing input focus. The latter event of course is achieved by contacting the touch sensitive panel outside of the window of the active application running on by the personal computer.
In the projected markup mode, the coloured pens and eraser are used to contact the touch sensitive panel. The active application running on the personal computer tracks where writing and erasing has occurred and maintains a computerized image of what is drawn on and erased from the touch sensitive panel. The computerized image is projected onto the touch sensitive panel so that user can see the computerized image.
In the non-projected mode, there is no image displayed on the whiteboard by the computer. Contact made on the whiteboard is recorded on the attached computer. Since the whiteboard is in non-projected mode, it is not interactive since users cannot see how their strokes are being recorded. For this reason, in non-projected mode, people write on the whiteboard with standard dry-eraser markers. The computer then tracks their writing and allows them to save the notes later.
To enhance user input abilities, on-screen keyboards for use with electronic writeboards have been considered. For example, Innovative Management Group Inc. of California, U.S.A. has developed an on-screen keyboard sold under the name My-T-Touch. The My-T-Touch keyboard is an extension of a touchscreen interface and uses “Heads Up Display” technology designed to keep a user's focus and concentration in one place. Thus, visual re-focusing and re-positioning, caused by the up and down motion of going from screen to keyboard to screen is reduced.
Unfortunately, prior art on-screen keyboards do not address certain technical issues and therefore, suffer a number of problems. For example, some computer platforms such as Microsoft Windows® always ensure that an active application has input focus. In other words, these computer platforms ensure that any application that is selected through a mouse click receives input focus, i.e. the application becomes active. Thus, when a user contacts a prior art on-screen keyboard displayed on a touch sensitive panel to enter text into an active application, input focus is switched from the active application to the on-screen keyboard.
Unfortunately, only the application with input focus may receive inputs from peripheral devices, such as a mouse or a keyboard. Therefore input focus must be removed from the on-screen keyboard and given back to the application in order for the application to receive any input from the on-screen keyboard. Switching input focus from the on-screen keyboard to the application each time the on-screen keyboard is touched causes many unpleasant side effects. Firstly, a change in the activation state of an application causes the application to refresh or redraw portions of itself. This means that every time input focus is changed from the active application to the on-screen keyboard and then back to the application, the application will flicker as it refreshes. Secondly, a loss of input focus causes the application to close all of its open menus. As a result, prior art on-screen keyboards cannot be used to navigate through the menus of an active application. Finally, some applications, such as Internet Explorer™ (Internet browser), do not retain the text insertion point whenever input focus is lost. This means that when input focus is switched from the active application to the on-screen keyboard and then back to the application, the cursor is often positioned at a different point than where the cursor was prior to the active application losing input focus. In some circumstances, this makes it impossible to type text into certain fields using an on-screen keyboard.
It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a novel on-screen keyboard for an electronic writeboard and an interactive display system incorporating the same.